The Adventure He Always Wanted
by dontblink93
Summary: What if Rose had lied about being pregnant on Bad Wolf Bay? What if little Tony Tyler had been the child of her and the Doctor? How will this effect things when Tentoo is left with them on the parallel world?
1. Chapter 1

The Adventure He Always Wanted

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the rights to Doctor Who or Torchwood… I'm especially sad that I don't own the rights to David Tennant…

Chapter 1

Rose Tyler sat on her bed staring down at the two tiny lines that changed her life. She didn't know what to feel. This was the first time she had taken a pregnancy test that she should have been happy. The other time she'd had a pregnancy scare had been with Jimmy Stone and that had not been a situation to bring a baby into. Had anybody told her two months ago that she would be carrying the Doctor's baby she would have been ecstatic. This time next year she would have a beautiful child that would be half of her and half of the man that she loved more than anything in all of the universes that had ever existed.

Rose _should_ have had the opportunity to run to her lover and share her news with him. However, Rose never would have that opportunity. The love of her life was in a parallel universe, unable to get to her. At least she'd have this baby. This baby would be tangible evidence that the Doctor had once loved her, that he had even been a part of her life. The baby would continue the legacy of the Time Lords. No, it wouldn't be a full Time Lord, but surely some bit of the legendary species would live on through this child. Rose made sure that not only would she love this child more than anything in the universe, but she would raise it so it's father would be proud. He may never know about the existence of their child, but if he did he would be proud.

The next obstacle Rose needed to overcome was telling her mum.

"You're WHAT?!" Jackie Tyler shrieked, standing in the kitchen of the Tyler Mansion.

"I'm pregnant." Rose repeated.

"Who's the father? Mickey?" Jackie interrogated. Hoping to whatever higher being that was out there that this was the case. The last thing her Rose needed was to have to raise a half-alien baby on her own. It had been hard enough on her raising her fully human daughter by herself. How would Rose keep up with the child if it could run as well as its father?

"No. You know it's not." Rose told her, tears spilling out of her eyes.

"I know. I know, Sweetheart." Jackie soothed as she moved to embrace her daughter in a hug. "It's just gonna be a bit harder… More than a bit, considering the father."

"Yeah, I know. But, Mum, it'd be hard no matter what. I've never loved anybody as much as I love the Doctor, and although I've lost him, at least I'll have a piece of him."

"That's how I felt after your dad died. I didn't have him, but I had you." Jackie told her daughter, her eyes glassy with tears. "It's gonna be ok, darling. First things first, we need to get you a doctor's appointment."

"I can't go to a regular doctor though, Mum. What if the baby has two hearts?"

"You're right. I'll talk to Pete, he'll get somebody through Torchwood."

"Alright, Mum. Thank you."

"There's no need to thank me. I'm just doing what any good mother would. Your dad and I are going to give you all of the help you need with the baby. I'm sure Mickey will as well. This baby is going to have a loving family and want for nothing. I'm sure of it." Jackie assured her daughter.

Rose had no doubt that her mother meant what she said, but there was one thing that the baby would always want for: its father.

Pete Tyler absolutely came through for his newfound daughter. He found a Torchwood doctor by the name of Owen Harper. Owen had been working for the organization for the past few years and though he was not an OB/GYN he had the most experience with both aliens and humans.

Rose hadn't been too impressed with him in the beginning considering his snide comments and jaded disposition. However, in just a few weeks they'd come to an understanding and were something akin to friends

Another two months passed before she dreamt of the Doctor calling her and the Tylers plus Mickey made their way to Bad Wolf Bay. The entire way to Norway all that Rose could think that she would be reunited with her Doctor, that her child would have its father. Finally, after a journey that seemed much longer than it actually was. They arrived. Darlig Ulv Stranden. Bad Wolf Bay.

She got out of the jeep. At first she didn't see him, then he appeared. There he stood in all of his messy haired, brown pinstriped suited glory. Just as devastatingly gorgeous as he'd been on that fateful day at Canary Warf. The only problem was that he was transparent. He wasn't really there.

"Where are you?"

"Inside the TARDIS. There's one tiny little gap in the universe left. Just about to close. And it takes a lot of power to send this projection. I'm in orbit around a supernova. I'm burning up a sun just to say goodbye." He explained, a small smile on his lips.

"You look like a ghost."

"Hold on." She watched him fiddle with the sonic and he became solid. She stepped towards him.

"Can I to-?" She began to ask, bringing her hand to his face.

"I'm still just an image. No touch." He told her sadly

"Can you come through properly?" she questioned, hopefully.

"The whole thing would fracture. Two universes would collapse."

"So?" He smiled at her question.

"Where are we? Where did the gap come out?" He asked her, looking around.

"We're in Norway."

"Norway. Right." He nodded, looking as though this was completely what he expected.

"About fifty miles out of Bergen. It's called Darlig Ulv Stranden."

"Dalek?" The Doctor asked, concerned.

"Dar-lig. It's Norwegian for bad. This translates as Bad Wolf Bay." Rose told him, giving him a small laugh and rolling her eyes. "How long have you got?" She asked, her voice cracking.

"About two minutes."

"I can't think of what to say." Rose admitted, crying.

The doctor laughed. "You still got Mr. Mickey then."

"There's five of us now. Mum, Dad, Mickey…and the baby." Rose told him, still unsure.

"You're not?" he asked, shocked.

She chickened out. She couldn't. It would kill him if he knew that he had a child he couldn't get to.

"No…it's mum." She lied. "She's three months gone. More Tylers on the way."

"What about you?"

"Yeah… I'm back working in the shop."

"Ah… good for you." The Doctor told her, trying to hide his disappointment.

"Shut up… No, I'm not. Looks like the Torchwood on this planet's open for business. Think I know a thing or two about aliens." That was true at least. She wasn't doing anything dangerous, but she was acting as an advisor and in return they were trying to help her find a way back to him.

"Rose Tyler… Defender of the Earth." He declared proudly. Then, he became serious. "You're dead. Officially. Back home. So many people died that day and you'd gone missing. You're on the list of the dead. Here you are… living a life day after day. The one adventure I can never have."

"Am I ever gonna see you again?" Rose asked, crying harder.

"You can't." He told her.

"What are you gonna do?"

"Ah, I've got the TARDIS. Same old life. Last of the Time Lords." He told her sadly, both of them knowing that it would never be the same again.

Rose struggled a moment. "I- I love you." She told him, crying. She may not have told him about their baby, but at least he'd know how she felt. Though she was sure that he already knew.

"Quite right too." He told her, tears streaming down his face. "And I suppose if it's my last chance to say it… Rose Tyler-"

Then he disappeared. Rose broke down and Jackie ran to her daughter.

"We should leave, Rose." Jackie told her, concerned for her daughter and grandchild.

"No. The Doctor told me to always wait five and a half hours for him. I won't leave until then."

Jackie looked to her husband and Mickey. Both of them were at a loss for words. "Alright darling. Alright."

Rose, still saving some shred of hope, waited for five and a half hours before she allowed Jackie to escort her to the jeep. Mickey sat in front with Pete and Jackie sat in the back, her arms around her heartbroken daughter.

"Did you tell him about the baby?" Jackie asked after Rose had calmed down a bit.

"No. I couldn't. He told me that it would destroy the universe if he came through. It would be torture for him to know that he had a child that he could never see. It's better this way." Then Rose smiled through her tears, "I told him you were pregnant."

She laughed, the thought of her having another child just when she was done raising Rose. Jackie disagreed with Rose's decision, but would never say that to her daughter. Especially not when she was falling apart at the seam.

Before she knew it, six months had passed and Rose Tyler gave birth to a beautiful, healthy, one-hearted baby boy. Her pregnancy had progressed just like a normal, human pregnancy.

Anthony "Tony" Tyler was born into a wealthy, seemingly normal, human family. He had a mum, a grandma, a grandpa and an Uncle Mickey, who seemed to be the closest thing that he would ever have to a father.

A/N: I got this idea from a few different fics I've read(mostly the Doctor's POV of the Doomsday Goodbye scene) and I've also read Black and Gold by frin tenant. It's the same premise but the story will be much different.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Last time I checked I still don't own Doctor Who….

The stars began going out two months before Tony Tyler's second birthday. It was only a few at first, it worried the authorities but the general public didn't notice. The Tyler family however, was not the general public.

"We need the Doctor." Rose announced to her father and Mickey as she burst into Pete's office. "There's nobody else that can help us. Our best scientists can't figure this out. Finding a way to get into the parallel universe needs to be our top priority."

"That's what Mickey was here about." Pete told her. As the head of Torchwood, he was incredibly stressed out about this. He needed to keep a calm front for the public as the head of Vitex, but the stress still shone on his face.

Rose looked to her best friend and former boyfriend. He had grown so much from the kid he had been when they'd first met the Doctor. He was a man now and he would make another woman so happy one day. Sometimes Rose had wished that she had loved him like she'd loved the Doctor. Things would have been much simpler, but unfortunately life didn't work that way. Mickey acted as the father Tony would never have, but he would never take the Doctor's place in her heart.

"Yeah. I think we found something." Mickey told her, giving her a smile.

They'd had the Dimension Cannon built three months later, however it hadn't worked until the walls between the universes began to thin. Eight months after the stars began to go out, Rose Tyler was able to travel to her home universe.

Seeing the Doctor again brought a whole new type of heartbreak. No matter how this ended she would lose somebody. If the Doctor would have her (and Tony, of course) and she chose to go, she would lose her mother and father. If they stayed in Pete's World, she would lose the Doctor and Tony would lose his father.

Agonizing over whether she would be with the Doctor would have to wait, Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth had universes to save.

Rose had known that Mickey would stay on their home universe. They'd already said their goodbyes on Pete's World. He loved Tony almost like a son, but he needed to find his own life. Now that his grandmother was dead, they were the only things holding him there. They might not even be there much longer if Rose went back to the Doctor. Any way that it turned out, Mickey decided that he needed to go home. Rose understood, he couldn't be expected to raise another man's child and especially when nothing would ever happen between Rose and him. She knew how hard it had been to for him to leave Tony, but she knew it was for the best. She wished him all the happiness in creation. He certainly deserved it.

Rose hadn't gotten a chance to tell the Doctor about Tony amidst all of the action going on around them. She thought that she would get the chance to tell him later. Then the meta-crisis happened.

Rose hadn't known what to think about this new new _new_ Doctor. How would he fit into the picture?

"Fat lot of good this is! Back of beyond! _Bloody Norway."_ Jackie complained as the five of them piled out of the TARDIS. "I'm gonna have to phone your father. He's on the nursery run." She turned to the meta-crisis Doctor "I was pregnant… do you remember? I had a baby boy." She lied, nervous to make conversation. All that she could think about was if she would she lose Rose and Tony today.

"Ah! Brilliant. What'd you call him?" the meta-crisis Doctor enthused.

"Doctor."

"Really?" The meta-crisis asked, surprised yet flattered.

"No you plum, he's called Tony."

"Hold on, this is the parallel universe, right?" Rose asked, confused.

"You're back home." The Doctor answered.

"And walls of the worlds are closing again, now that the reality bomb never happens. It's dimensional retroclosure. See I really get that stuff now!" Donna explained.

"No but, I spent all that time trying to find you. I'm not going back now." Rose told him.

"But you've got to. Because we've saved the universe but at a cost. And the cost is him. He destroyed the Daleks. He committed genocide. He's too dangerous to be left on his own."

"You made me." The meta-crisis Doctor defended himself.

"Exactly. You were born in battle full of blood and anger and revenge." He turned to Rose. "Remind you of someone? That's me when we first met. And you made me better. Now, you can do the same for him "

"But it's not you." Rose protested.

"He needs you. That's very me."

"But it's better than that though. Don't you see what he's trying to give you? Tell her go on." Donna said, excitedly.

"I look like him, I think like him. Same memories, same thoughts, same everything. Except I've only got one heart." The meta-crisis told her.

"Which means?"

"I'm part-human. Specifically the aging part. I'll grow old and never regenerate. I've only got one life, Rose Tyler. I could spend it with you, if you want."

"You'll g-grow old at the same time as me?" Rose asked him, astonished.

"Together."

Was this really happening? If this man was truly the Doctor, this could be her dream come true. It couldn't be this easy… could it?

The TARDIS' familiar sound carried over the beach.

"We've got to go this reality is sealing itself off forever." The Doctor told them.

"But it's still not right, cause the Doctor's still you." Rose argued, torn. Torn between the man who she had always loved, the proper Doctor and the same man who might be able to provide the happy ending for her and her son.

"And I'm him."

"Alright, both of you answer me this: When I last stood on this beach on the worst day of my life what was the last thing you said to me?" She asked. "Go on say it." She urged them.

"I said Rose Tyler-" the Doctor answered. He wouldn't say it. He never would, she realized.

"Yeah, and how was that sentence gonna end?" She gave him one last chance.

"Does it need saying?"

"_Yes! It absolutely needs saying!"_ Rose thought to herself.

"And you, Doctor? What was the end of that sentence?" She asked.

The Doctor in the blue suit, leaned into her and whispered in her ear, "_I love you. I will always and have always, through time and space, loved you."_

Rose looked at him for a beat, after finally hearing the words that she had been so desperate to hear since her first Doctor with his big ears and blue eyes. She did the only thing she could do. She grabbed him by his lapels and pulled him in for the most passionate kiss of their lives.

She was so consumed by that kiss, after living for over three years without the feel of his lips against hers, she could think of nothing else. She could think of nothing else but the feel of him against her and the words he had just said, still ringing in her ears. The only thing that pulled her back to reality was the sound of the TARDIS dematerializing. She pulled away in shock and ran towards the disappearing ship. Would he really leave like that?

Of course he would, as much as she loved him, that's what he did. She could only watch the TARDIS disappear in shock, and suddenly she felt a hand in hers. The same hand that she had been longing for. Things would be ok.

She turned to the Doctor. "You're really him?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yes." He assured her, still holding her hand.

"Oi! The two of you, start walking! I can't get a signal so we can't get a cab."

The Doctor pulled out his sonic with a familiar grin. "Hand your phone over, Jackie."

They had a cab twenty minutes later.

The ride to the hotel was uneventful. Pete would be unable to send a zeppelin for them until the following morning so he booked them two hotel rooms.

Jackie cornered Rose before they were involved in the awkward conversation about who would be bunking with whom.

"I'll stay with him, Mum. We've got things to discuss." Rose told her.

"Yeah, you better just be talking, I'm too young to have two grandchildren."

"Mum!" Rose hissed, taking the keycard from her mother and walking to the Doctor.

"You're staying with me?" he asked, unsure. He looked unsure about everything and exhausted as well.

"Yep, is that alright?" Rose asked, suddenly unsure herself… What if his feelings had changed over the years they'd been apart? She hadn't asked him if he still meant what he had been about to say almost three years ago.

"That's fine. Brilliant!" the Doctor stammered.

They made their way to the hotel room and got settled in. There wasn't much to settle, considering that they had no luggage.

"We need to talk." Rose told him, sitting on the bed next to him.

"_Here it comes."_ The Doctor thought to himself. _"She's not in love with me anymore, I've scared her away… there's someone else…."_

"W-what about?" the Doctor asked, nervously.

"Do you remember how I told you that Mum was pregnant?" Rose asked, nervous herself. He'd hate her for keeping this from him.

"Oh yes. Had a boy! Tony Tyler." The Doctor told her smiling. He was confused about why she needed to talk to him about her brother. "She cornered me when we got here. Do you like having a brother? I bet you're a great older sister. What else could a little boy ask for in a sister? He's got Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth."

"You see, that's the thing. Tony isn't my brother. He's my son." Rose told him, deciding that it wouldn't do any good to beat around the bush.

"Y-your son?" the Doctor asked, amazed. This couldn't be… could it?

"He's yours." Rose told him, stating the obvious.

The Doctor sat there, silently for a moment. He couldn't believe it. A son… He thought he'd never have children again. He'd resigned himself to being the last of his kind. He'd never expected this.

"How old is he?" the Doctor asked.

"He's almost two and a half. He looks just like you."

"I've missed two and a half years of my child's life." He said to himself, more than her.

"I'm sorry." Rose apologized, tearing up. "I should have told you, but when you told me that you couldn't come through I thought that it would hurt you too much to know. I'm so sorry. I was a coward."

"No." he told her, lifting her chin towards him. "You are not close to being a coward. You did what you thought was right and I don't blame you at all. I just wish things had been different. I just wish that I'd been there from the beginning."

"I do too." Rose admitted. "It's been so hard. I've had a lot of help from Mum, Dad and Mickey, but they're not you. I don't know how to raise a half-Time Lord. But you'll be there for us now. He knows all about you."

"Does he?" the Doctor asked, as if he was shocked that she would tell their son about his missing father.

"Of course! He loves you and he's never even met you. I've told him about all of our adventures… Well, at least the ones that aren't too scary for him."

"What's he like?"

"He's amazing. He's got one heart, but he's so intelligent. He was walking and talking at eight months. He was completely potty-trained by eighteen months and he spoke in full sentences at twenty months." Rose beamed with pride, talking about their son. "He knows about so many of our adventures and he's always talking about the TARDIS. I don't suppose he'll ever see it now though."

The Doctor smiled, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out the TARDIS coral. "Donna gave this to me and told me how to accelerate the growth. We should have a TARDIS in about five years… He'll be the perfect age to start travelling."

Rose smiled and threw her arms around the Doctor.

"The thing is," she said when they released each other. "I need to know that you're not gonna run. Travelling is one thing, but if you want to be Tony's father I need to know that you're going to be around at all times. You can't just go swanning off when things get too 'domestic.'"

"I know," the Doctor told her, looking deep into her eyes. "Wherever I go, the two of you will go. I want domestic. I've dreamed of domestic ever since I realized I was in love with you. That's why I've kept you at arms length for so long, I couldn't have that with you. Now I can and I will never let that go."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Doctor fidgeted the entire zeppelin ride back from Norway.

"Relax." Rose told him, giving him a smile. Still not the smile that he dreamt about, the playful smile where her tongue peeked out through her teeth. He knew she was worried about him. He'd been unusually quiet since after they spoke at the hotel.

To be fair, he had a lot on his mind. He was suddenly a different species; he'd gained a son and was reunited with the woman he loved all in one day. On top of it he was on his way to meet said son and that was incredibly nerve-wracking. What if he didn't live up to the man that Rose described? He was the same but he was different. He was no longer an all-powerful Time Lord with a TARDIS. Now he had just one heart and he wouldn't have a TARDIS for five years. He was the same man, but different. Yes, he had the same personality and traits, but he was human now. That made all of the difference. No longer was he the "lonely god," he was free to do as he pleased. Of course, he would probably still play the hero, that was just who he was, but he could have the one adventure he had never had. This was the one adventure that he had never even imagined that he could have. He could live the rest of this short human life with Rose Tyler and they'd raise their son together. If she'd have him.

"What if he's disappointed? What if I don't live up-?" The Doctor began.

"You said last night that you're the Doctor. As long as that's true he'll love you. You're his dad and he'll love you no matter what." Rose assured him.

"Did you tell him that I was coming?" he asked.

"No… I thought that it would be better for him to find out in person." Rose told him. Had she told Tony last night when they'd spoken on the phone, he'd never let his grandfather put him to bed.

"Stop worrying." Jackie ordered him. "He's always talking about how his father, the Doctor, is a superhero. He idolizes you."

She decided to give them some privacy and go to the other side of the zeppelin. Jackie was thrilled with this turn of events. She could kiss the original Doctor. Not only would Rose and Tony have him, she wouldn't lose them. Rose would have a normal life with her son and the man she loved.

"You know," Rose began. "If you're gonna be living a normal human life, you're gonna need a name. We should think about that…"

"Noble." The Doctor said sadly. "I want my surname to be Noble, after Donna."

Rose wondered why he looked so sad when talking about Donna, but she decided to ask him later. She didn't want to push him.

"Alright, have you thought about a first name?"

"James." The Doctor told her. "I once had a companion by that name."

"That's easy enough, James Noble. It's a nice name, but is it ok if I still call you Doctor?" Rose asked.

"I'd like that." He told her, smiling.

"Dad will have Torchwood create your documents and give you a backstory. We'll say you have a Ph.D. so nobody wonders why we call you Doctor." Rose explained. "They'll have to be very thorough with you're backstory because we're in the public eye. They'll be extremely curious about the sudden appearance of Tony's mysterious father. Tony Tyler Noble. I like that, it has a nice ring to it."

The Doctor smiled; thrilled that Rose would publicly acknowledge him as Tony's father.

"How did he explain you?" He asked her, remembering that there hadn't originally been a Rose Tyler in this universe.

"My parents were extremely adept at keeping me out of the public eye." Rose told him with a smile. "I didn't think that they'd believe it, but how could they not when I had school records and everything else. Besides, they forgot how I popped out of nowhere when it got out that I was pregnant and the father wasn't in the picture."

"So they'll have a field day when I show up? How will we explain where I've been?" The Doctor asked, not pleased with the prospect of being the subject of public interest.

"Well… If you work for Torchwood we can say that you were on an undercover mission for the last three years. They can't ask questions because it will be classified and it adds a romantic aspect to our story."

"Our story?" he asked, smiling. "Do we have a story here?"

Rose blushed. "Yes. I still feel the same, I hope you do too."

"Of course I do! I meant everything I said on that beach."

"I'm glad, though I think I'll need some time."

"Absolutely. Maybe we can date properly… Imagine me, dating. Never thought I'd see the day."

"I'd like that." Rose told him, beaming.

"But, Rose, _Torchwood_? I don't know if I can work there." He admitted.

"Torchwood really is different. We rebuilt it. Mickey, Jake and Dad made sure that it's different. Yes, we protect the Earth, but we don't needlessly harm aliens to do it. We only carry guns with a stun function. There's no more of that 'if it's alien it's ours' rubbish. The only time we use lethal force is if it's a life or death situation. The only time we lock anybody up is if they're dangerous and even then it's only until we can get them back to their home planet." Rose explained. "We'd be even better with you. There is so much that we don't know and you can help us keep things under control. I'm not saying that you have to work with us, but you will need a job, at least until the TARDIS is ready. You can do anything you want, but Torchwood is where you would be most needed."

"I'll think about it. What do you do there?" He questioned, worried that she was in danger.

"I don't do fieldwork. I mainly work in R and D. I also help with diplomatic situations, but I try to keep out of danger. I can't purposely go out into dangerous situations when I have Tony to worry about. I only used the Dimension Cannon myself because it was my project. It wouldn't be fair to send somebody else through it and the universes were in such grave danger. If I didn't go, Tony wouldn't exist to lose me in the first place."

"I understand… I still have to think about it, but it would be nice to have the old team together again." He replied, smiling the smile that made her knees go weak. "Shiver and Shake."

"It'd be great to have you in R and D, and especially the Archives. There's so much alien tech that we can't identify. Some of it would probably help you grow the TARDIS."

"Well," he began, drawing out the word. "I do need a few things to shatterfry the plasmic shell…"

A few hours later they arrived at the Tyler mansion. The zeppelin ride had seemed the longest trip of his life. To be fair his main mode of travel for the past few centuries had disappeared in one place and reappeared in another a moment later.

The Doctor remembered the mansion from the last time he'd been in Pete's world. His heart was beating faster than it ever had. His palms were sweaty and he felt dizzy. If this was how humans dealt with anxiousness, it was rubbish. All of his insecurities and worries were running through his mind. Even if Tony did like him, would he be a good father? He hadn't exactly been father of the year when he'd been a father last. All that he knew was he would love this little boy more than anything in any universe. He hadn't even met him yet and he loved him.

Pete awaited them at the door, Tony in his arms. The Doctor's heart stopped when he saw Tony. He had the same messy brown hair as him, the same eyes, the same nose and his freckles, but his smile was Rose's. He was an amazing combination of the two of them. He was perfect. He was still young but all the Doctor could think of was all of the things he had missed. His birth, his first smile, first words, first steps. The Doctor vowed that he would not miss anything else in this child's life. There would be no more running, at least not without Tony and Rose by his side.

"Mummy!" Tony yelled as soon as he saw his mother get out of the car. He scrambled out of Pete's arms and launched himself into his mother's.

"Oh Tony, I've missed you so much." Rose told him, kissing him on the forehead.

Tony launched into a ramble about the time Rose had missed. He sounded so much like his father. He sounded extremely intelligent for his age, the Doctor noted with pride.

"Grandma!" he yelled when he saw Jackie and she gave him a kiss while he was still in Rose's arms.

"Tony," Rose said, putting him on his feet. "There's someone I'd like you to meet." Tony looked at the strange man, who looked so familiar at the same time, with suspicion.

"This is your dad, the Doctor." Rose told her son, kneeling down to his level. Jackie had tears in her eyes. The Doctor waited with bated breath All he could hear was his single heart beating and blood rushing in his head. His hands were clammy and his face felt hot. He'd never been this nervous in his over nine hundred years.

Tony scrutinized the man who his mother claimed was the Doctor. After what felt like hours but was truly only a few seconds, he broke the silence. "You're my dad?" he asked, with wide eyes.

"Yeah." The Doctor answered, choked up but smiling. "I'm sorry that I'm just here to meet you now."

"That's ok, you were saving the world. Mummy says that you've been keeping us safe. Do you have the TARDIS?" Tony asked, excitedly.

"No," the Doctor answered him, hating to disappoint him. "But I'll have one in a few years. You'll be seeing the stars in no time."

"Are you going to live with us now?" Tony asked.

The Doctor looked to Rose. They hadn't spoken about where he would be living. He hoped that he'd be living with her and Tony.

"Yes, Tony." Rose told her son, but answered the Doctor as well. "You're Dad is going to be with us from now on."

Slowly, Tony climbed out of his mother's arms and walked towards his father. He held his arms up to his father, silently asking him to pick him up. The Doctor obliged and he hugged his son for the first time.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The Doctor and Rose spent the rest of the day with Tony. Tony was ecstatic to finally have the father, whom he had heard so much about, with him. He helped Rose show the Doctor around the mansion and showed the Doctor every toy and book he owned. At this moment, the Doctor was playing with Tony before bed. Rose looked on, happier than she'd ever been.

"He's a natural with him" Jackie commented, walking up behind Rose.

"Well they are father and son." Rose told her. "And he's been a father before."

"Before?" Jackie asked. "When?"

"Before either of us was born. They're all dead now though. They died in the Time War." Rose told her.

"You have to go and make me feel sorry for him." Jackie complained. She liked the Doctor, especially this human Doctor, but neither of them needed to know that. It was best for him to have some fear when it came to her.

Rose shook her head at her mother. "Ok, Tony." She said, hating to put an end to their bonding. "It's time for bed."

"I'll do it." Jackie told them. "You two still have things to talk about." She turned to Tony. "Come on, sweetheart."

Tony received a goodnight kiss from each of his parents and left with his grandmother.

"Where will I sleep?" The Doctor asked, unsure of himself again.

Rose was suddenly shy. "Would you want to stay with me? I mean, I still want to take things slow, but I just want to be close to you right now. I still can't believe this is real."

"I can't either. I can't believe that I'm getting a happy ending." The Doctor admitted.

"I know. I was so ready to sacrifice having my parents in order to stay with you and I get this. I still feel bad though, about the other you. What will happen to him?"

"He'll find somebody else, eventually." The Doctor answered, not realizing what he said.

"What about Donna? Why won't he have her?" Rose asked, knowing that it wasn't good. She knew something had been off from how he'd spoken of Donna, as if she was dead.

The Doctor put his face in his hands and then ran them through his hair, stressed. "He'll have had to erase her memories of us. Of everything. She'll have to go back to the same old life she led before she met me. A human isn't meant to have a Time Lord consciousness, if she remembers it will kill her. I just hope that some way, somehow, her time with me won't have been for nothing. She needs to know that she was, at one time, the most important woman in the universe."

Rose couldn't imagine the pain he was going through. She'd barely known Donna and it broke her heart. "I bet there's a Donna Noble in this universe. Maybe we can help her in some way."

The Doctor liked that and was reminded how incredible this woman really was. This was why he loved her. "I'd like that. So, what's on the agenda for tomorrow?"

"We need to go shopping." The Doctor was about to reply when she added, "We'll make a day of it with Tony. The three of us can spend time together as well as get you what you need. It won't be so bad."

The Doctor didn't quite believe her. He'd never really had to shop before and it was not something that appealed to him. However, he was now part human and therefore he needed to do human things, like shop. He looked at Rose again. If doing dull human things like shopping meant that he could have this life with her and Tony, he'd do it.

Rose hadn't realized that shopping with Tony and the Doctor would be such a hassle. It was really her fault. Because there had been no Doctor to destroy Henrik's in this Universe, it still stood. Rose had been in the habit of frequenting the store during her and the Doctor's separation, it had been one of the few small reminders she had of him. Rose hadn't realized that the trip would call for a retelling of her and the Doctor's first meeting. After that the Doctor launched into a lecture about the Nestene Consciousness. Tony was listening to his father intently.

"…You see the Nestene Consciousness is a telepathic gestalt entity and it's a being of pure psychic energy…. Best way to deal with them is anti-plastic. Ask your mum. She was the real hero that day."

_"Wow." _ Tony gasped, looking at his father in wide-eyed admiration. Rose wasn't actually sure that Tony had any clue as to what his father was talking about aside from the fact that he and Rose had saved the earth. He was extremely smart, but he was still a toddler.

The Doctor had picked out three pairs of Chuck Taylor's, five suits, assorted shirts and ties, along with other necessities.

"Doctor, would you like to try some jeans and t-shirts? I mean, I guess you don't really need jeans, but you might like some t-shirts…" Rose trailed off.

"But Roose-" The Doctor began to whine.

"I'm just saying, it might be a good idea to get some more casual clothes. Just try one pair of jeans and a few shirts, if you don't like them we can donate them."

The Doctor conceded to get one pair of jeans and a few t-shirts. Although he hadn't decided to get them until he saw her reaction to him in jeans. _She'd been looking._

"Now you just need a coat." Rose told him as they walked out of Henrik's. "I thought we might find a thrift shop to see if we can get something like it… At least to get you through until the TARDIS is ready. Then maybe we can get you the same coat from Janis Joplin."

The Doctor smiled at Rose talking about their future together, in the TARDIS. "Yeah." He agreed. "I am going to miss that coat in the meantime though."

The best they could find after a few thrift shops was a long trench coat that was not quite the right shade and cut, but it would do in the meantime.

"What do you want to do now?" The Doctor asked Rose.

Rose gave him the smile that he dreamed of. The one where her tongue shone out of the corner of her teeth. "I want chips." She told him, thinking back to their first "date." She took the Doctor's hand and the newly reunited family made their way to the nearest chippy.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The Doctor and Rose had just put Tony down for a nap when he turned to her and said, "I think I'm going to work for Torchwood."

"Really?" Rose asked, shocked. She'd been hoping that he'd work there, but she knew he had issues with the organization.

"You work there and if you say they've changed I believe you." The Doctor assured her. "Besides I'm going to need a job if I'm ever going to take you out on a proper date."

"You don't need to do that." Rose told him, blushing. She knew dating wasn't really the Doctor's style… She was just impressed by the fact that he'd allowed her to take him shopping and that he agreed to get a job, at Torchwood no less.

"I want to." He told her, looking straight at her. "I'm getting the life that I've always wanted to have with you and never thought possible. I want to do this right. I want to see being human as an adventure and I want to do things the human way."

"And live with a sonic screwdriver and a TARDIS eventually." Rose added, laughing.

"Well, I'm not fully human, so it's ok to have a sonic screwdriver and TARDIS. Besides, I want Tony to know about being a Time Lord. Speaking of being a Time Lord-"

"You are not giving him a sonic." Rose cut him off. "He's not even three."

"But-" the Doctor tried to argue.

"He can have one when he's older, but let's get him learning to read before we give him a potentially dangerous object."

"It's not dangerous!" the Doctor protested, although he knew he had no chance of winning this argument.

"I've seen it light candles." Rose said, pointedly.

"See, very useful. Not dangerous at all."

"For a toddler?" Rose asked.

"What about when the TARDIS is ready?" the Doctor asked.

"Maybe he can have a sonic then… with limited functions." Rose conceded.

"What about-?"

"He's not learning to pilot the TARDIS until he's old enough to drive a car."

The Doctor had a feeling he had no chance of winning this argument either.

"Alright, can I teach him Gallifreyan?" He asked. He was sure Rose wouldn't have a problem with that, but he didn't want to assume.

"Of course!" Rose told him shocked, she hoped she didn't give him the feeling that he couldn't parent his own son. "You never have to ask to teach him something about his culture… unless it's potentially dangerous."

"I just don't want to do anything if it's not alright with you. You've been with him since the beginning-"

"No." Rose interrupted. "You would've been here if I'd told you and it had been possible. You're his father no matter what. If you're unsure about something talk to me, but I trust you. You've been a father before." Rose was unsure about whether she should have brought the subject up, but they were raising a child together.

"Yes, but things were different in Gallifrey. Our children were taken from us at the age of eight; we were loomed instead of being carried in the womb. Parenting was different, we weren't as close to our children as humans are."

"You're a natural with Tony. I thought that was just because you've done it before."

"No, but things will be different this time." The Doctor promised. "I've always regretted how things were the first time. " He looked down at Rose, who had tears running down her face.

"Now I've got you crying." The Doctor lamented.

"It's ok." Rose told him. "It's not all from what you've been telling me. Well, it is but it's not all bad. It's just that Tony has you now and I can tell you love him like I do; it just makes me so happy. I mean, I knew you'd love him, but I just never thought we'd have this."

The Doctor enveloped her in a hug. When he hugged her, when he held her hand it felt as though they had never been separated.

The Doctor and Rose spent the next day with Tony and the following day, Monday, they made their way into Torchwood.

"We're much smaller now." Rose explained on the way. "There's only eight of us now, including you, me and Dad."

"What's the team like?" The Doctor asked.

"Well you know Jake from the last time you were here, we have this universe's Gwen Cooper she's an ex-Police Constable. There's Tosh, she's a computer whiz and we have Owen, he actually delivered Tony. Plus we have this world's Ianto, he makes great coffee."

"That's Jack's team in our universe." The Doctor told her. "I mean I know you saw Gwen and Ianto. I'm not sure what happened to Owen and Tosh."

"I wish we had Jack, too." Rose commented. "Don't look so jealous, there was never anything between Jack and I. It was always you."

"Rose Tyler," The Doctor began, indignant, though flustered. "I am not jealous. "

"Whatever you say." She laughed. "But I do think he would be a great asset to the team… and I miss him. He's one of my best friends. I know he won't be the same Jack but we can make him better, just like we did before. Speaking of Jack, you owe me an explanation about how he's alive."

The Doctor blanched. "Don't worry, it can wait until after work." Rose assured him. "Anyway, I was thinking. What if we try to hire Donna and Martha?"

"What?" the Doctor asked.

"Well, I didn't get to know either one particularly well, but I know that they were important to you. I also think that both of them could be beneficial to the team. Owen could use some help in the medical department and I'm sure we can get Donna here as a temp. At least she can be a temp until we convince her that she can do more."

"I think that's a brilliant idea." The Doctor smiled.

"We're here." Rose told him.

They got out of Rose's TARDIS blue car and they walked into the small, nondescript building.

Ianto, well alternate Ianto, stood behind the front desk. "Good morning, Rose." He greeted. "You must be the Doctor." He said as he walked over and shook the Doctor's hand.

"Ianto Jones!" The Doctor exclaimed, shocking the man with his familiarity.

"Y-you know me?" Ianto asked.

"Well sort of, I've met you. Well not you really, the other you, in the alternate universe."

"Right, well then, the others are waiting for you." Ianto told them, still shocked.

Rose and the Doctor followed Ianto into the backroom.

"Rose!" Gwen greeted, turning away from her conversation with Tosh.

"Hi Gwen, Tosh." Rose said, giving them each a hug. "How are you?"

"We're fine." Tosh told her. "We're more curious about how you are."

"I'm wonderful. I want to introduce you guys to the Doctor."

Each of the women introduced themselves, but the Doctor refrained from speaking about their counterparts in the other universe, he saw how it had made Ianto nervous.

"Where're Jake and Owen?" Rose asked.

"There've have been some reports about Weevils." Gwen told her. "They're taking care of it."

"Alright, then I'm gonna show the Doctor around. He's going to be helping in the archives and R and D." Rose told them. "Tosh, how is the deconstruction of the Dimension Cannon going?"

"Ianto and I finished it last night." Tosh reported.

"Great, thanks. I'm sorry I wasn't here to help."

"It was no problem, you needed to spend some time with Tony. We don't mind." Tosh told her.

"Thanks." Rose said, grateful. "Let me know when the guys get back."

They walked into an office, that the Doctor assumed was Rose's.

"You're the boss." The Doctor said, in shock.

"Not really." Rose told him. "I mean I guess I'm second in command after Dad, but ok, yeah I'm in charge most of the time because he needs to run Vitex, but he's the head of Torchwood. But like I said, I don't do fieldwork so I'm only in charge here. Mickey was in charge in the field, I guess that's Jake now. "

"Do you miss it?" the Doctor asked her. Curious about her, but about how he'd feel as well.

"Yeah, a bit. But, I don't want to do it because of Tony. I know what it's like to grow up without a parent. It's dangerous enough not going out into the field, I can't knowingly put Tony at a higher risk of growing up without me. I don't think Dad would let me even if I wanted to go in the field, Mum would throttle him." Rose told him. "I mean, just because it's like that for me, I don't want to tell you that you can't go out there if you want to."

"I agree with you though." He told her. "Tony's already gone two and a half years without me. I don't want him to be without his father. I mean, I'll have to go if I'm needed I suppose, but I think I'll be ok staying behind with you. Anyway, we'll have loads of adventures again once we have the TARDIS grown."

Rose smiled at him. "Lets go look at the archives to see if you can find what you need, the faster we get the TARDIS growing, the faster we can travel again."

"Brilliant idea, Rose Tyler. Allons-y!" He declared, before realizing that he had no idea where he was going.

Rose laughed before he could say anything else. "Come on, Doctor. It's this way." She told him, leading the way.


End file.
